Wherever You Are

I always hated those stupid kickoff parties. We get it, everybody's going to be traveling, why not just jump to the airport instead of wasting time and money? Don't get me wrong, I'm not against having a good time. In fact, the first ten minutes of the kickoff parties are enjoyable. There's always an open bar and I have no problem taking advantage of it. Unfortunately, after you down a couple of long islands, the fun gets sucked out of the room rather quickly. Let's be real, I don't really fit in with anyone in this ragtag team of staff members trying to build a universe on a stage. And sometimes, we build a stage just to build a universe on it. For starters, my eye makeup is always really heavy, the dress I wore to that specific kickoff party was inspired by Wednesday Addams, and as if that wasn't enough to make me stand out like a sore thumb? My hair had been split dyed red and black for three years.

Of course, there were a lot of different people at that party with a lot of different styles, but it was the difference between a Mariah Carey and a David Bowie. It didn't really matter, though. Like I said, I really hated those stupid kickoff parties. Per the usual routine, I ordered my second long island at the bar and then continued to sit by myself while everyone else danced to a remixed medley of Maroon 5 songs. I didn't bother to look around the room because you could be certain that those who weren't dancing were discussing how much they'd miss each other or the things they were most excited about. I honestly didn't expect anyone to come take the seat next to mine. I immediately turned my head to see the stranger and found that he wasn't as strange as originally perceived. It was one of the boys from that band. The sauce band that was going to be the companion group for the tour. I barely made it through the meetings, so I wasn't sure if I could remember his name. He gave me a slight wave of his hand and gentle nod before ordering a beverage, and I stirred through a list of names in my head. Andrew? No. Daniel? Nope, that wasn't it either. "Michael." My voice stretched, though I hadn't meant to say anything out loud.

"Yeah. I'm Michael." He held out his hand for a handshake, and I gently shook my head and gave a surprised smirk. "I don't think so." I said. I'll be damned if he didn't look a little disappointed. I'll be damned if I didn't feel a little bad about it.

"I'm Leda." A smile plagued his incredibly round face. It wasn't fat, just round and youthful like a child's delicate framework. "You're the costumer." I nodded slowly, drinking the remains of my drink before setting the glass down and ordering another. Long islands were my favorite, after all. Still, no matter how much I adored long islands, I wasn't going to leave him hanging. "I'm not just a costumer, you know." My voice sounded more monotone than usual, and I was uncertain if it was because the conversation was less than stimulating, or if it was the sudden weight of the alcohol hitting my chest like a bag of bricks. "Oh?" Michael sounded intrigued as the bartender handed him his beverage. "I have a band, too." He was definitely interested now. "What kind of music do you play?" I scoffed, but not because I thought it was a stupid question. I scoffed because it's always been hard for me to categorize anything. The bartender handed me my third long island of the night and I instantly pulled the little black straw out and tossed it down onto the bar before picking up the glass. It was cold in my hand as I took a long drink and I could feel Michael growing uncomfortable at the silence.

"The good kind." I said, finally. He let out the flattest and most childish laugh I had ever heard from a grown man and I couldn't help but smile at the sound of it. It was unexpected because I hadn't expected him to seem so young as he did there, sitting at that bar with me. In the meetings he seemed calmer but I think the preferred the idea of him this way, laughing at the bar with a stranger. I must have been staring too intensely. His laughter waned down and he suddenly seemed to change direction and calm down. I felt like I was clamping down on his throat, strangling him away.

"It's okay to laugh, you know." He smiled, acknowledging that he understood what I had said. "I'm just a bit bored." I admitted, and his head tilted slightly. "So, you don't enjoy any of this?"

His hand motioned towards the rest of the room and I turned on my stool to take a look around the room. Just as I did, Dani took the attention of the guests and began to give a speech. It was the same one she always gave, every single tour. She's so thankful for everyone's support and friendship, she's excited for the future, and she hopes to continue to have fun. It was laughable to me. Dani is a nice person, really. She works harder than anyone that I've ever met. Still, she was completely predictable. I finished my third long island and before I set the glass down, the bartender pushed another across the gap. I smiled faintly and pushed it back. "You're done?" The bartender asked, not sounding as surprised as he did in my head. "To go, please." Michael slouched in his seat. "You leaving?" I gave a half hearted shrug as the bartender poured the contents of the cocktail into a plastic cup that was worth losing. Technically speaking, no bartender should be serving you as you leave, but this bartender catered several events that I had attended. He wasn't worried about me. I glanced over at Michael as I climbed down from the bar stool. His gently bent frown reminded me of a kitten in a box.

"Do you want to come?"

I didn't think that he actually wanted to, but he didn't hesitate to walk out the back exit with me. He didn't stop to ask for anyone's permission, which I was honestly relieved over. He quietly climbed into the cab and plopped down beside me. "You're certainly more adventurous than I pegged you for, kid." He wanted to laugh at that so badly, but he stifled it down to a slight chuckle. "I'm going to take it that you were hoping I was adventurous." I took a large drink and shrugged in response. "I honestly don't know what to expect from you." And that was the truth. I didn't really know this kid, or anyone from his band. I had nothing to compare him to. I had no expectations as to what he was like or the things that he liked to do. Instead, I was going to continue my night as I normally would. The extra company was appreciated but not required, and at the very least maybe I wasn't going to be such a sore thumb on this tour after all.